Liaison de Congrès
by faithful1
Summary: What happens next? Post "My Name Is Amy Gray"
1. On the Steps

Spoilers:The term _spoilers_ only apply to revelations about _un_aired episodes. All aired episodes become part of the canon, and thus I allude to them without warning. This piece begins at the end of the final episode of the sixth season.

**Liaison de Congrès**

_Scene One_

"Judge Gray!" "Ms. Gray?" "Judge Gray! Why did you veer from your script?" "Did you mean what you said about mandatory sentencing for juveniles?" "Ms. Gray, how has your mother's profession influenced your judgments?" "What's it like being a single mother and a judge?" "Judge Gray, will you be running for office?"

Reporters shot their questions at her, often not even waiting for a response before firing off another. Amy longed for her gavel to bring order to this ill-behaved mob. Then out of the din one question caught her attention. "Judge Gray, who is the man escorting you?"

It was quickly buried by other questions, but Amy—though she of course didn't answer it—found it difficult to ignore the implication that, if she pursued political office, her relationship with Bruce would be source of comments and questions, even more than it was during their six years in the Connecticut courthouse.

Finally the reporters had had enough. Amy sank exhausted onto a nearby bench, kicked off her pumps, and rubbed a tired foot. Though Marty seemed eager for yet another strategy session, one that would likely last late into the night, Amy was aware that Bruce had traveled hours to be with her, and thus far the two had exchanged little more than a few hurried words. She had to find out what he was thinking, what his plans were.

"No."

"No?" Marty asked, incredulous.

"No, I will not meet with you this evening. And I will not meet with you tomorrow. Not until an hour before I have to leave for _Larry King_. We spent most of the morning prepping for my testimony."

"Preparation which you ignored," he interrupted.

"And I see no need to go over it again," Amy continued as though Marty hadn't even spoken.

"Yeah. Okay. Looks like I've got some recalculating to do anyway. You've thrown a few surprises at me already today." Marty's gaze passed from Amy to Bruce and back again. "So what are you going to do?"

"I don't often get to D.C., so I'm going to spend some time seeing the sights and, um, thinking over my options." Having place her shoes back on her feet, she rose from the bench, glancing at Bruce to see whether he had recognized her words' significance. "Bruce, what do you say? Care to play hooky for a weekend?"

Bruce hefted an overnight bag he had picked up from security while Amy was busy with the reporters. "Sure, but I still have to find a room for tonight. I'd rather not carry this with me all over the city."

"I'm sure that Marty can find you something in our hotel, can't you Marty? Since you're going back there now, anyway. Perhaps you can even take Mr. Van Exel's bag for him and ask the bellhop to leave it in his room."

"What? No! Yeah…sure," Marty sighed, clearly not happy about this turn of events.

Bruce grinned and handed over his bag. "Thanks, man."

He then placed his hand under Amy's elbow to usher her down the stairs.

"Amy, just answer me this. Do you still plan to run?" Marty called to her retreating back.

"Watch the Sunday morning talk shows," Amy threw over her shoulder, and she and Bruce rounded the corner and disappeared.

_To be continued…_

Acknowledgements: Thanks as usual to Soylent Gringa, who reads everything I write and lots of stuff I don't. Special thanks to my husband, who watches _Judging Amy_ with me every Tuesday; his ear has helped me improve the dialogue and excise the clichés. His patience is especially commendable as he thinks fanfic is rather silly.

Disclaimer: _Judging Amy_ and it characters are the property of Barbara Hall/Joseph Stern Productions, in association with CBS Productions and Twentieth Century Fox Television. I wrote this story to explore a few possibilities and intend no copywrite infringement. only.


	2. Intersections

Spoilers:The term _spoilers_ only apply to revelations about _un_aired episodes. All aired episodes become part of the canon, and thus I allude to them without warning. This piece begins at the end of the final episode of the sixth season.

**Liaison de Congrès**

_Scene Two_

After leaving Marty, Amy and Bruce strolled along the paths outside the Capitol Building. The flower beds were a profusion of spring colors, and camera-toting tourists sporting jeans and tee-shirts mixed with conservatively clad politicos who had escaped from their offices to enjoy the first signs of summer. Amy paused, raising her face to the afternoon sun, reveling in its warmth.

"It's been a long, _long_ winter."

"_Oh_ yeah," Bruce agreed, thinking of her engagement to David, the loss of their baby, the incarceration and death of Graciela, and his increasing estrangement from Amy.

"Did you think we'd ever get through it, that summer'd ever arrive?"

"'This, too, shall pass,'" Bruce quoted. "I knew we'd get through it. I just didn't know where we'd be when we got there."

"So where are we?" Amy stopped and looked directly at Bruce.

"At an intersection of sorts, it would appear," he replied lightly. They had progressed toward Maryland Avenue, only to find themselves between two large buildings. "If you remain a judge, who knows, you just might make a place for yourself in there." Following his gaze to the right, Amy looked up at the Supreme Court. "You won't get there by way of the senate." Then he angled his head, indicating the Senate Office building on their left. "You may have to choose, you know." Somehow Amy didn't think he was just referring to her professional aspirations.

_To be continued…_

Acknowledgements: Thanks as usual to Soylent Gringa, who reads everything I write and lots of stuff I don't. Special thanks to my husband, who watches _Judging Amy_ with me every Tuesday; his ear has helped me improve the dialogue and excise the clichés. His patience is especially commendable as he thinks fanfic is rather silly.

Disclaimer: _Judging Amy_ and it characters are the property of Barbara Hall/Joseph Stern Productions, in association with CBS Productions and Twentieth Century Fox Television. I wrote this story to explore a few possibilities and intend no copywrite infringement. only.


	3. A Phone Call

Spoilers:The term _spoilers_ only apply to revelations about _un_aired episodes. All aired episodes become part of the canon, and thus I allude to them without warning. This piece begins at the end of the final episode of the sixth season.

**Liaison de Congrès**

_Scene Three_

They walked along Maryland, turning left onto Second Street and then left again onto D; neither seemed eager to venture far from the capitol. The lunch crowd was thinning, and they quickly found a table at The Monocle, a favorite eatery for politicians and pundits.

After ordering, Amy called home to find out how her family liked her speech. Even though she knew Maxine objected to her senatorial aspirations, Amy couldn't shake her need for her mom's approval.

"Hey, Ma."

"Amy, hi."

"So what did you think?"

"You spoke well. Really well. I'm still not excited about the idea of our family under a microscope, but I must admit that we need someone with your passion in office. Just...think it over carefully, won't you?"

"I will. I will. There's a lot to consider." Amy smiled at the man sitting beside her.

Almost as though she could read Amy's thoughts, Maxine said "So I thought I saw Bruce sitting behind you on television. Was he there?"

"Yeah, he was there. Actually, we're having lunch right now."

"May I speak with him, please?"

"Um? Yeah, sure. Just a second." Amy lowered the phone from her ear and looked at Bruce. "It's Ma; she wants to speak to you."

Bruce took the phone. "Mrs. Gray?"

"Mr. Van Exel, hello. What did you think of Amy's testimony?"

"I thought she was an excellent advocate for the juvenile justice system."

Amy smiled.

"So did I." The preliminaries were clearly over. "I thought I had understood from Amy that the two of you had had a fight. That you disapproved of her recent rulings and had left her side."

"I left her _courtroom_," Bruce said, choosing his words carefully.

"I see." Maxine paused before continuing. "Mr. Van Exel, I'll be making some of my grandmother's ginger snap cookies this weekend. When you and Amy return from D.C., please stop by to have some. Now would you please put Amy back on the line?"

"Certainly. Good-bye, Mrs. Gray. I'm looking forward to those cookies." Pleased but puzzled, he handed the phone back to Amy.

"Yeah, Ma, hi. What was that all about?"

"If I wanted you to know, dear, I would have asked to speak to you."

"_Right_." Amy knew she would get no further information, from that source at least. "So did Lauren get off to school okay? The teacher understood why she was late?"

Maxine replied in the affirmative, and then the two spoke for a few more minutes about matters at home and Amy's testimony. Before hanging up, Amy said "Tell Lauren I'll call her this evening. Love you, Ma."

"I love you, too, dear."

Amy turned off the phone and slipped it back into her bag.

_To be continued…_

Acknowledgements: Thanks as usual to Soylent Gringa, who reads everything I write and lots of stuff I don't. Special thanks to my husband, who watches _Judging Amy_ with me every Tuesday; his ear has helped me improve the dialogue and excise the clichés. His patience is especially commendable as he thinks fanfic is rather silly.

Disclaimer: _Judging Amy_ and it characters are the property of Barbara Hall/Joseph Stern Productions, in association with CBS Productions and Twentieth Century Fox Television. I wrote this story to explore a few possibilities and intend no copywrite infringement. only.


	4. Spectator Sport

Spoilers:The term _spoilers_ only apply to revelations about _un_aired episodes. All aired episodes become part of the canon, and thus I allude to them without warning. This piece begins at the end of the final episode of the sixth season.

**Liaison de Congrès**

_Scene Four_

Just after their entrees arrived Bruce felt a sharp pounding on his arm. "Ow! _What_?" he asked Amy, who was banging on his arm to catch his attention. A mouth full of endive and radicchio, she pointed excitedly to a man sitting a few tables away. Bruce looked up to see a familiar face. "Amy, that's the committee chairman for your hearings this morning."

She swallowed a big gulp of iced tea. "I know."

"You spent over an hour in his presence."

"I know."

"He called you 'esteemed'."

"I know."

"Then where's the excitement?"

"We're eating lunch with a _senator_."

Bruce laughed at her star-struck eagerness.

Throughout the rest of lunch, they people watched. "Look, there's the house minority whip!" "Hey, she's a congressional aid." "Isn't that the policy wonk who was on C-SPAN the other morning talking about social security?" Bruce pointed out any public figure he recognized—and several he didn't—happy to finally see Amy relax and the tension leave her face. He didn't realize she was on to him until he suddenly heard her say "Hey, Bruce, there's the D.C. dogcatcher! I heard he was elected with sixty-seven percent of the popular vote!" Both erupted into laughter, causing heads to turn.

"Shhh. _Shhh_." Amy put her finger to her lips. "You're _embarrassing_ me."

"_Me_? You started it," Bruce whispered back, grinning.

"_I _started it?" Amy closed her eyes, nodded, and sighed contentedly. Then she looked up at him seriously. "Okay, maybe, but I really needed that. Things haven't been so good lately. I've got this tough case a work—a kid who really needs help, but the funding just isn't there."

"Yeah, I heard," Bruce murmured, more interested that she still used the present tense to refer to her job.

"Then Mom and I had a big fight last night at dinner. Lauren was great though."

He nodded.

"And then the pressure to decide about this senate campaign." She paused. "And our fight. I really missed you, Bruce. I guess I just assumed that you'd always be there."

"I missed you, too," he said, giving her hand a quick squeeze.

They sat that way for a moment, quiet in the stirrings of a now half-empty restaurant.

"So." Bruce pushed away his nearly empty plate and downed the remainder of his coffee.

"So." Amy picked up her fork to finish the last bites of her pasta.

"What do you want to do now?"

"Can we just head back to the hotel? I'd really like to get out of this suit."

"Not a problem. This tie is killing me."

"Try nylons and heels."

"I have."

"You have? _When_?"

"College. A long time ago. Let's not talk about it. _Okay_?"

"For now. I'll wait 'til I have some stronger persuasion." And she clinked his coffee cup with the tines of her fork before gathering up her possessions and the bill and heading to the front desk.

_To be continued…_

Acknowledgements: Thanks as usual to Soylent Gringa, who reads everything I write and lots of stuff I don't. Special thanks to my husband, who watches _Judging Amy_ with me every Tuesday; his ear has helped me improve the dialogue and excise the clichés. His patience is especially commendable as he thinks fanfic is rather silly.

Disclaimer: _Judging Amy_ and it characters are the property of Barbara Hall/Joseph Stern Productions, in association with CBS Productions and Twentieth Century Fox Television. I wrote this story to explore a few possibilities and intend no copywrite infringement. only.


	5. Accounts Payable

Spoilers: The term _spoilers_ only apply to revelations about _un_aired episodes. All aired episodes become part of the canon, and thus I allude to them without warning. This piece begins at the end of the final episode of the sixth—and unfortunately final—season.

**Liaison de Congrès**

_Scene Five—Accounts Payable_

Their walk to The Hotel George was relaxed and comfortable. While many questions had yet to be asked, much less answered, the laughter at lunch had cleared up much of the lingering tension, and they slipped easily into their familiar friendship. However, once inside the hotel lobby, Amy noticed Bruce looking perplexedly at the gleaming marble and sleek décor. "This just isn't the place I would've expected you to choose," he answered in reply to her question.

"Marty's choice."

"Ah. That explains it."

"Are you saying I can't be chic and hip?"

"I've seen your office."

"You helped me pick the lamp!"

"What can I say? I'm not chic or hip, either." Laughing, they made their way to the clerk at the front desk.

"Mr. Van Exel, yes, sir, we have a room reserved for you. Mr. Levine asked that it be placed on his account. Will that be acceptable, sir?"

Bruce blinked when he saw the nightly cost of the room, but for any number of reasons he felt it was inappropriate for his lodging to be included as part of Marty's attempt to seduce Amy into politics. Reaching for his wallet, Bruce said "I'd rather it be placed on my card."

"Bruce, no. If you won't let it be part of Marty's business expenses, let me pick it up," Amy whispered as the clerk reached for Bruce's card.

"That's not going to happen."

"You've got Rebecca to think about."

"And you've got Lauren."

"Yeah, but…" Amy's words trailed off. She knew their respective salaries—a salary which he had just lost when he'd left his position as her CSO. She knew that Mia didn't contribute and frequently needed financial support, that he was raising a daughter and putting himself through school. But she also knew Bruce. Though frustrated by his stubbornness, she knew this was one fight she wasn't going to win. Nevertheless, she could have kicked herself for her thoughtlessness. It hadn't occurred to her when she suggested that Marty find Bruce a room that Bruce would end up spending a week's salary just to be with her. She was going to have to make sure that this weekend didn't cost him anything more.

_To be continued…_

Acknowledgements: Thanks as usual to Soylent Gringa, who reads everything I write and lots of stuff I don't. Special thanks to my husband, who watches _Judging Amy_ with me every Tuesday; his ear has helped me improve the dialogue and excise the clichés. His patience is especially commendable as he thinks fanfic is rather silly.

Disclaimer: _Judging Amy_ and it characters are the property of Barbara Hall/Joseph Stern Productions, in association with CBS Productions and Twentieth Century Fox Television. I wrote this story to explore a few possibilities and intend no copywrite infringement.


	6. Bag and Baggage

Spoilers: The term _spoilers_ only apply to revelations about _un_aired episodes. All aired episodes become part of the canon, and thus I allude to them without warning. This piece begins at the end of the final episode of the sixth—and unfortunately final—season.

**Liaison de Congrès**

_Scene Six—Bag and Baggage_

Sighing deeply, Amy shut the door behind her and slipped off her shoes. She threw her suit coat on the bed before padding into the bathroom, unbuttoning her blouse as she went. After splashing her face with water and shaking down her hair, Amy bent to remove her nylons. At that moment a knock came at the door.

"Hunh?" Awkwardly, Amy looked up from her bent position. She heard the knock again. "Damn." She straightened up, kicked off the second leg of her pantyhose, and headed for the door.

"Bruce," she said in surprise, having just left him at his own room down the hall.

"Hi." He took in her disheveled appearance and grinned. "Sorry to interrupt. Do you have Marty's room number? My bag isn't in my room."

Amy pulled her blouse closed as she answered. "He's just two doors down the hall. _Now_ what are you looking at?" Without her pumps, Amy was a good head shorter than Bruce, and he could easily see over her to the room beyond.

"There it is," Bruce said, pointing to the desk behind her.

Amy whipped around, tilting off balance before grabbing his wrist to right herself. "Humn, so it is." She fetched the bag and handed it to him. "I guess the bellhop must have made a mistake."

"That's one possibility."

"What do you mean?"

"Marty may have said to put it in here."

"Why would he do that?" Amy asked, confused.

"Why, indeed." Bruce raised his eyebrows at her. "It's not like it'd be the first time someone's made that assumption about our relationship."

"_Oh_!"

"Thanks for…" Bruce indicated the bag and then casually bent down and lightly bussed her cheek. Then he and his bag were gone.

Beaming, Amy shut the door and danced a little jig on her way back to the bathroom.

_To be continued…_

Acknowledgements: Thanks as usual to Soylent Gringa, who reads everything I write and lots of stuff I don't. Special thanks to my husband, who watches _Judging Amy_ with me every Tuesday; his ear has helped me improve the dialogue and excise the clichés. His patience is especially commendable as he thinks fanfic is rather silly.

Disclaimer: _Judging Amy_ and it characters are the property of Barbara Hall/Joseph Stern Productions, in association with CBS Productions and Twentieth Century Fox Television. I wrote this story to explore a few possibilities and intend no copywrite infringement.


End file.
